Behind Closed Doors
by ymsg
Summary: Yuugi is being threatened; if he breathes a word of this deadly secret, his own life is the price. Jounochi knows something's wrong, but can he get it out of Yuugi before it's too late?
1. No one can ever know

**_A/N: Hiya, yeah it's short but more's comin'. Please read and review, and I'll try to post more soon. . I do not own YUGIOH or any characters._**

* * *

"_No one can ever know, Yuugi," _he whispered in his ear, voice curdling and vicious. Yuugi's heart pounded in his chest; he couldn't help the tears that flowed down his cheeks, pain ripping across his spine.  
_ "I want to tell them the truth," _he sobbed, _"I want to tell them what you did to him… I will tell them! They'll believe me…!"  
__ "Yuugi…" _his laugh was sharp and harsh. _"No one can ever know. If I have to kill you to silence you, I will, but I want you to live in this pain for a while." _Yuugi shook his head, tears flying from his face.  
_ "If you tell them," _he breathed, smiling. _"I will kill them."_

* * *

"Yuugi?" Jounochi's face was written over in confusion as he turned around in his seat. "Hey, buddy, you okay?" Yuugi smiled.  
"Yeah, I'm fine, Jounochi." Yuugi replied routinely. Jounochi shrugged and turned back in his chair.  
6th period algebra was the slowest period of the day; for Jounochi, the minutes dragged on and on. Luckily, the day would be over in ten minutes; the minute hand sidled over to the number 12. He scratched his head as he poked his pencil at a problem.  
"Okay, if the Pythagorean Theorem is a2+b2c2 then 6 squared…" he muttered, trying to figure it out. One seat behind him, Yuugi's eyes were glued to the clock, answer written plainly on a sheet of paper before him.  
'Go slower.' He begged the clock. 'Don't let the day end.'  
"Katsuya." The teacher said shortly. "Do you have an answer?" Jounochi looked up sheepishly.  
"Ehe… no." he said smiling. He received a sharp glare, and set back to work on the problem.  
"Yuugi Mutou?" the teacher asked, rapping a ruler against his desk. Yuugi pulled his paper toward him.  
"1287, ma'am." He said softly. The teacher nodded once, and cast a glance out the window.  
"Well, it's a lovely day. You're dismissed." The teacher grinned. Everyone cheered, except Yuugi. He sighed deeply, and packed his belongings away, slow as molasses.  
"Yuugi, let's go!" Jounochi exclaimed, his backpack already on his shoulder. Yuugi stood up and managed a weak smile, approaching his friend. That's when Jounochi realized that Yuugi was wearing no puzzle.  
"Yug," he said casually on the way to the Game Shop. "What gives, man? Where's the Millennium Puzzle?" Yuugi bristled at and recoiled as though Jounochi had struck him.  
"You okay, man?" Jounochi stopped walking and stared at his best friend. Yuugi's face was taut, eyes scared, but a glare was fastened to his face.  
"I'm fine, Jou, really." He said sharply. "Nothing's wrong. And I didn't feel like wearing the puzzle; it's heavy and I'm sick of it." Jounochi knew he was lying now.  
"That ain't like you." He returned, voice hard. "What about the Pharaoh? How's he feelin' 'bout dat?" Yuugi's face went ghostly pallid and a glint seared through his violet eyes. Jounochi felt as though he had struck a nerve.  
"He doesn't care." Yuugi snapped, and turned on his heel, heading for the game shop, leaving Jounochi standing alone.

* * *


	2. Anything

**Chapter 2: "Anything"**

* * *

Jounochi stared at Yuugi's retreating form, completely bewildered. What had happened that caused such a change in his friend? Jounochi's face was set; whatever it was, he was going to find out, or his name wasn't Katsuya Jounochi. He set whipped out his cell phone and dialed Anzu's number, heading to Honda's with a plan.

Yuugi threw open the door to the Game Shop, a tear trickling down his face. He hated lying to Jounochi; he was his best friend and it was evident that he cared. Maybe… maybe he could…

_"No one can ever know."_

No.

'Jounochi wouldn't understand anyway.' Yuugi forced himself to believe. Walking into the kitchen, he sighed. The house was empty, as it always was during the day. But at night, he would come. At night, when the light of the moon was dimmed by the ever-ominous shadows, he would always come…

Yuugi shuddered and slid into the living room, falling onto the narrow sofa. Thoughts raced through his mind; images, visions of memories, blurred but painful still, darted across his tightly clamped eyes. Ghosts of the past wrought their tortured voices upon him, pounding in Yuugi's ears, the torment interminable, which was exactly what he deserved.

RIIIIING!

Yuugi snapped up straight on the sofa, the phone halting the pain that stained his thoughts. He rose slowly and approached the line as though walking through molasses. Lifting the phone from its cradle he whispered,

"H-hello?"

"Yuugi?" Yuugi sighed with relief; it was Hiroto Honda.

"Hey, Honda." He said lightly. Honda looked over at Jounochi and Anzu expectantly; Jounochi nodded.

"Yug, uh, I really don't get this Pythagorean Theorem thing," Honda said almost nervously, looking over at Jounochi. "Would you mind coming over and explaining it to me? The test next week's gonna be a killer, and I need to get a good grade to pass Algebra." There was a long pause on the other line.

"Yuugi?"

"Sure, Honda. I'll get my stuff and come right over."

"Thanks, Yug."

"Sure thing."

Jounochi breathed a sigh of relief as Honda hung up the phone. Anzu's hands were clenched within one another, her face worried.

"Are you sure about this, Jounochi?" she asked. Honda seconded her doubt with a nod.

"Yeah, Jou. This is a risky plan, man." Jounochi nodded.

"I know." He answered. He looked around the room aimlessly, as though searching for a shred of comfort throughout it; he raised his hands in emphasis. "But can't you _feel _it? When you look at him? That somethin' is wrong?" There was a pause; Anzu sighed. Minutes passed like hours, the three drinking in a worried silence that hung about the room, like smoke over a growing flame.

"There's been a change in him… he's different; I can feel it." Jounochi said softly, hands falling to his sides. "That's why we're doin' this."

"Honda?" Yuugi knocked on the door. Honda leaped up and pushed Anzu and Jounochi to the back door.

"Okay," he whispered. "Go to Yuugi's and look around for anything out of place. That was our plan, right, Jounochi?" Jounochi nodded.

"Thanks for bein' decoy, Honda."

"Honda?" Yuugi called.

"Comin'!" Honda shouted. "Go!" he whispered to Jounochi. Anzu grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"What do you expect to find at Yuugi's?" she asked as they headed to the Game Shop? Jounochi shook his head.

"Anything." He whispered. "Anything… let's go."


	3. GET OUT

**Chapter 3- GET. OUT.**

* * *

Jounochi and Anzu approached the Kame Game Shop, an all-too familiar place; so many memories had been built here over the years of their friendship with Yuugi. These thoughts leaped into the minds of the two as they arrived at the front entrance; every duel that had been one, every movie that had been watched, every laugh that had been shared were shoved from their thoughts as they focused on the task at hand.

Jounochi tried the door and finding it locked, he led Anzu along the back part of the building. Pulling Yuugi's window open, he heaved himself inside; Anzu pushed herself up and climbed through after him.

"Look downstairs, Anzu; I'll scope out his room." Jounochi said softly. Anzu nodded; easing herself out the door, she crept down the stairs.

Jounochi moved things about Yuugi's room with expertise, looking ever so carefully for the one thing possession Yuugi had been known to cherish more than anything else; the Millennium Puzzle.

Searching for what seemed like forever, Jounochi gave up. With no luck, he sighed. He tip-toed out of Yuugi's room and slunk down the hall.

"JOUNOCHI!" Anzu's horrified scream echoed throughout the house. Jounochi felt a chill run down his spine; he turned and raced down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"Anzu!" he shouted, looking around frantically.

"In… in here…" he heard her terrified whisper barely slip from her lips. He ran through the living room into the darkroom, a small, secluded part of the Mutou home. Stepping in front of Anzu, his eyes began to adjust to the dim, red light.

"Oh my god…"

Photographs were ripped into thousands of pieces; they littered the floor as shredded memories ready to be stepped on. Smiling faces shone at him from the floor; a happiness that had been mangled into portions. The nearly unrecognizable pictures were stained with the tiniest droplets of red… blood. This scared Jounochi, but what lay upon the shredded photos frightened him even more.

Shattered pieces of the Millennium Puzzle were lying, bloodstained and broken, atop the ripped pictures. He bent down onto his knees, taking into his hand the very piece that he himself had once stolen from Yuugi so long ago. The Millennium Symbol in the center of the familiar piece no longer glinted of gold; it was partially hacked away, completely drenched in scarlet. Jounochi pulled his hand away, fingertips stained with blood.

"Jounochi…" Anzu whispered, horrified. "What do you think hap…?"

"ANZU!" Jounochi ducked into the darkest corner of the darkroom, behind a box of photographs that would forever lie undeveloped.

"Yu-Yuugi-kun, I…" Yuugi looked stricken. Jounochi sat low, barely breathing. Yuugi's eyes were wide with fear.

"Anzu," be breathed, backing away from her.

"Yuugi-kun, what…?" she began to ask gently, diverting all suspicion of Jounochi's position.

"**GET. OUT!**" he screamed, trying to appear more angry than fearful and failing miserably. Anzu bowed slightly and raced past him, throwing the door to the Game Shop open. Jounochi heard the far away slam as the screen knocked against the door frame; he didn't dare move.

He heard a slight 'thump'. Poking his head ever so slightly around the box that concealed his huddled form, he saw Yuugi, fallen upon his knees, tears dripping off his cheeks.

"I'm sorry… I-I didn't t-tell her…" he whispered, voice nearly inaudible. Jounochi was both perplexed and surprised; Yuugi knew he was there? Lips poised to reply, he saw a dark, threatening silhouette loom ominously above him.

'_Who is that?'_

"You didn't tell her… true…" the voice of the shadow whispered, a curling, condescending twist to the already unfathomable tone. Jounochi narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the enigmatic figure that struck such fear into Yuugi's heart.

"But no one can ever know…" he breathed, a smirk visible in the dim, red glow.

"I know," Yuugi whispered. "I-I'm sorry, I…"

"Spare me your petty apologies!" The voice growled. "Time to teach you another lesson, Yuugi…" Jounochi's eyes widened from his haven behind the box of photographs. The mysterious figure drew a long, narrow shape from beneath his shirt.

'A… A knife!' Jounochi's heart screamed for Yuugi. 'Run, you baka! Get up and RUN!'

But Yuugi did not move. He merely bowed his head. Waiting.

Laughter, a harsh, painful laughter diced through the room. The silhouette of the murderous man was disappearing, slowly but surely, into the shadows that rotated from the floor about his body. Jounochi was aghast to realize that the man was becoming less and less visible. His hand, clenching the razor sharp dagger, the point from which gleamed so anxiously, rose up high above his head, and before Jounochi's eyes that quivered with horror-struck tears, plummeted, ever faster, straight down.


	4. Gomen nasai, mou hitori no boku…

**Chapter 4- "Gomen nasai, mou hitori no boku…"**

"Jounochi?"

Eyes blinking slowly, Jounochi's vision cleared to see Anzu, Honda, and Otogi before him. He was perplexed; where was he?

"What's goin'…?" he began, but was cut off.

"Anzu hung around at Yuugi's place after he kicked her out, waiting for you, dingdong." Otogi said sharply. "After a long time, you didn't come out, so she made up an excuse that she'd left her jacket inside. Yuugi didn't answer the door, so she went in to find you passed out on the floor and Yuugi…"

"YUUGI!" Jounochi snapped up. "Where is he! Is he okay!" he exclaimed. Otogi shoved him back down forcefully.

"Yeah, he was asleep in his room." He replied, voice holding the slightest hint of annoyance. Jounochi breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are you doin' here, Otogi?" he asked. Otogi shrugged.

"Honda called me wanting some help." He answered. "I thought I'd drop by." Jounochi nodded.

"Thanks." He said softly.

"So what's the matter with Yuugi?" he asked. "Honda wasn't good on details." Jounochi shrugged.

"He probably told you everything we know." He replied. "Yuugi's just been different; he ain't wearin' his puzzle and he hasn't touched his deck in months. He snapped off at me earlier today…" Jounochi stopped off at that, wondering.

"What happened at Yuugi's house after I left, Jounochi?" asked Anzu curiously. Jounochi felt his eyes burn at the memory.

"Someone was there… they were tellin' Yuugi that no one could ever know what had happened." Answered Jounochi, thinking back.

"What happened?" asked Honda. Jounochi shook his head.

"I dunno… then he pulled a knife out and he was gonna slice Yuugi, like right down the back… I guess that's when I passed out." Jounochi swallowed hard. "I bet he hurt Yuugi."

"Well, he was in his room." Anzu said matter-of-factly. Jounochi nodded. "He was lying underneath his sheets and a big blanket…" she said thoughtfully.

"But it's burning outside!" Honda exclaimed.

"Yeah…" she agreed. "Why wear a blanket if it's hot as Hades outside?" Jounochi stared at the ground; the situation became clear as the clues lined up.

"He was probably under the blanket to hide the marks from the dagger." Said Otogi.

"Great work, Detective, didja figure that out alone, or did your assistant help you?" Honda said sarcastically.

"Don't make me club you, Honda…"

"Shut up, you two." Anzu interrupted. "We have to focus on the matter at hand." They nodded, solemn.

"We gotta help Yuugi…" said Jounochi almost brokenly. Suddenly, he sat up straight; his eyes suddenly flashed a new determination. "We're gonna help Yuugi." He said louder. Anzu looked slightly taken aback, but she nodded.

"He's right." She agreed. "And we have to do it soon."

"Then let's get over to Yuugi's." said Honda, standing. Jounochi shook his head slightly. "What's the matter, Jou?" he asked.

"It's too easy…" he said softly. "And we haven't even considered the smashed puzzle, the blood, and the photographs. What were they of? Why was the puzzle busted? And whose blood was all over it? We need to know this stuff." Anzu nodded, swallowing hard.

"Jounochi, I think you should go check on Yuugi." She said. "Go to his house and see if he's okay. We'll figure things out from there, okay?" Jounochi nodded, standing.

"Okay."

Jounochi walked shakily toward the door, and upon thrusting it open, a thought struck him.

The photographs. Eyes flashing slightly, he remembered some of the ones that he had sifted out of the way. They weren't of Yuugi, but of the Pharaoh. As a matter of fact… every picture had the Pharaoh on it! This could have something to do with Yuugi not wearing the Millennium Puzzle, and may have contributed to why it lay broken and bloodstained.

With this realization in mind, Jounochi raced out the door, running as fast as his legs could carry him. The pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together, and it felt as though he was going to be too late.

Heels screeching as he reached the Game Shop's door, he tore up the stairs into Yuugi's room. Yuugi was sleeping on his stomach, tucked tightly in place beneath cover after cover, and was sweating profusely from the immense heat. Jounochi loosened the covers that smothered him and gasped.

Deep, red slashes scoured Yuugi's back; they had been dug in forcibly and had left dried blood along the cuts.

'Good God, Yuugi… I'm so sorry…' Jounochi thought, turning on the fan above him. 'I'm so sorry, man.' He turned to head for the darkroom.

"M… M-mou hi… mou hitori no b-boku…" Yuugi muttered, wincing slightly upon saying the name. Jounochi stopped short.

'Mou hitori no boku?' he thought. ''The other me'… that's what he calls the Pharaoh!'

"Yuugi?" he whispered, leaning down beside him. Yuugi smiled slightly.

"Mou hitori no boku…" he breathed. Jounochi was taken aback; Yuugi thought that he was the Pharaoh! "G… g-gomen nasai…"

"Why are you sorry?" Jounochi asked softly. A tear rolled down Yuugi's cheek, mingling with the sweat that drenched him.

"F-for letting him hurt you…" he whispered. Jounochi was confused; had the same person who hurt Yuugi hurt the Pharaoh too? Why? And who was this stranger? But by now Yuugi was speaking again, leaving one last thought for Jounochi before he slipped back into sleep.

_"For letting him… kill you…"_


	5. Do you recognize me, Katsuya?

**Chapter 5: Do you recognize me, Katsuya?**

_"For letting him… kill you…"_

Jounochi's heart stopped in his chest. Kill…? Did that mean that the Pharaoh was… dead?

"Yuugi," Jounochi whispered softly. Yuugi did not reply; he was fast asleep, the tear dropping off his chin. Jounochi's mind reeled; could he have lost one of his dearest friends and not even have known?

At that point, his cell phone rang loudly. Jounochi winced upon hearing it, fearing it would wake his sleeping friend. He rushed out into the hallway and flipped the lid to his phone, his voice shaking beyond his control.

"H-h-hello?"

"Jounochi?" It was Otogi. "We've got nothin' out here. No one knows anything about Yuugi not wearing the puzzle, and Kaiba spat out that Yuugi's duel disk tracker really has been off for weeks. You were right; something's up."

"That ain't all, Otogi." He breathed. He replayed what Yuugi had said, voice trembling sharply. "Whaddaya think?"

Silence.

"Hello? Otogi? Hello!"

Only silence. The line was dead.

Jounochi felt a shiver run down his spine; this was beginning to majorly weird him out. He sat down hard in the center of the hallway.

What had happened to the Pharaoh? He pushed all emotion from his mind and tried to think logically. The blood on the photographs could have been Yuugi's or the Pharaoh's, and his death would explain the hacking away of the puzzle. But who had dismembered it so? Yuugi, possibly, in grief or anger… or maybe the stranger of which Yuugi had spoken, the one who killed Yami no Yuugi. But who had enough power to kill such an amazing Pharaoh? Who was great enough to outdo Yami no Yuugi, most audacious leader of ancient Egypt?

'Yami no Yuugi…' Jounochi thought brokenly, letting his eyes burn with unshed tears. The grief that struck his heart told him that his friend was indeed dead, and it hurt so, so horribly. If it hurt him this bad, it must hurt Yuugi a thousand times worse. 'Gomen nasai, Yami no Yuugi… Yuugi… Gomen nasai...'

A slight noise from down the stairs startled Jounochi out of his pain and rue. He stood attentively, approaching the banister gingerly. A dark, violet shadow was covering the floor at the foot of the stairs, and creeping up toward him. Jounochi swallowed hard; whatever had killed the Pharaoh knew what he had found out, and he was about to enter the nightmare of his life.

* * *

Yuugi sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.He had surprisingly slept so soundly that he almost felt guilty for it, until he felt the sharp stab of pain in his back. 

'Mou hitori no boku…'

A scream interrupted his thoughts; he leaped from bed and raced for the stairs, ignoring the pain that ripped across his spine.

Things went hazy as Yuugi stumbled down the stairs; visions blurred into violet shadows, distorting his sight. But the scream rang in his ears, shocking him to the core.

'Mou hitori no boku!' he thought woozily. 'I have to help him… I have to help mou hitori no boku…'

_'I can't let him down again.'_

Stumbling through the memory that he had trapped himself in, Yuugi lurched from the stairs and ran for the one room that disclosed every secret; the one place that held every clandestine that begged to be breathed unto just one caring ear. Tonight, someone would hear him. Tonight, someone would know the truth.

* * *

Jounochi's eyes were dilated with horror. His breath came in short gasps, the pain of shock ripping through his chest. This couldn't be. He stared at the shadow of the lone silhouette, back pressed against the darkroom wall. A cold, nauseating laugh set Jounochi's heart afire.

"I wondered if you'd recognize me, Katsuya…" the man snickered. And Jounochi, to his terror, realized that indeed he did.

The long, pointed locks of white hair, the slightest curl at the twist of his lips, the tone, the laugh, those shattering, unfeeling, merciless russet eyes. The man, the sick, sadistic, twisted being before him, the same one that had killed Yami no Yuugi…

… Was someone he had thought to be his friend.

* * *

_**A/N: Well, do you like? I certainly hope so, but if not, constructive criticism is always accepted. I also apologize for all typos, and I've found a few, trust me.**_

_**Thanks to zoids-fanatic, for uploading my story for me, since I was a bad little girl and got my sorry ass grounded ;**_

_**Please feel free to drop me a line with any questions and please review with any comments. Now, who is this stranger? I've given ample clues, even a physical description. If you don't know, then I'm unimpressed, or I simply suck at writing. Will Yuugi make it to Jounochi in time, or is he trapped in the memory of saving someone already eternally lost?**_

_**Thanks for reading; more soon**_

_**Raeluvs**_


	6. Behind Closed Doors

**Chapter 6: Behind Closed Doors**

"Mou hitori no boku!" Yuugi screamed, running through the house, trying to see through the ever growing violet fog. "Mou hitori no boku! Yami no Yuugi, answer me! Onegai!"

Where was he?

* * *

**FLASHBACK:**

_"Mou hitori no boku!" Yuugi shouted, running around aimlessly. He was hopelessly lost within the maze of the Millennium Puzzle. He stopped running and sighed._

_"I'll never find the Pharaoh at this rate," he said, sliding down the wall and leaning against a cold, hard door. He heard a sound down the dim hallway; the Pharaoh?_

_And it was! Yami no Yuugi approached, smiling, shaking his head slightly at the sight of Aibou, lost and confused._

_"You got lost again, Aibou?" he asked. Yuugi smiled sheepishly and nodded at the Pharaoh. He stood up, smiling._

_"The answers to your problems are simple, Aibou." Yami no Yuugi chuckled._

_"What's that?" asked Yuugi._

_"Every problem is like a door you've never opened. You don't know the solution to it, and you're not sure how to deal with it." Yami no Yuugi explained. "So, that means that the answer to every problem is to leave it behind a closed door."_

_"So to answer my problems, I leave them behind closed doors…"_

**END FLASHBACK

* * *

**

Yuugi ran directly into a door frame outside the darkroom in his haste to find the Pharaoh. His vision split sharply; through an eye he saw the entrance to the darkroom; surely the Pharaoh was there. Yet through the other eye, he saw the dim glow of the red bulb from within the darkroom, and the back of the one he saw as Satan turned to him and Jounochi on the…

Jounochi?

But which of this double vision was real?

* * *

"I wondered if you would recognize me, Katsuya…" the voice said, an almost insipid tone staining his accent. Jounochi wiped all fear from his face; anger radiated within him, pulsing with the beating of his heart. 

"Yeah…" he said, standing tall once more.

_"Yami no Bakura."_

Yami no Bakura smiled softly, a chuckle escaping his throat. Jounochi felt every hair along his neck prickle with fear, much to his own aversion.

"And what do you think, seeing me here?" he breathed, whipping the knife from beneath his shirt, light glinting over the Millennium Ring that hung so portentously at his chest. "What do you think, knowing that Yami no Yuugi, the oh-so brilliant Pharaoh, is dead? And by my… hand?" Jounochi could barely contain the anger that was ripping his heart to shreds. He voiced everything he could feel, every tear he wanted to sob, every punch he wanted to throw, and every scream he wanted to screech for the world to hear, into three words.

"I… hate… you…" he growled, eyes pooling with sizzling, excruciating tears of detestation and animosity. "I hate you…"

_"I HATE YOU!"_

"I'm so sorry…"

Jounochi's gaze snapped sharply from the eminent form of Yami no Bakura to the shape that crawled upon hand and knee behind him. Yami no Bakura turned slowly as well, staring at the huddled form in his wake. Yuugi.

"I'm so sorry… Jounochi…" he whispered, standing slowly. "I should have told you long ago…" He looked at Yami no Bakura, giving him the strongest stare that Jounochi had ever seen; he could feel the power that had risen in Yuugi from across the room.

"I'm sorry that Yami no Yuugi… mou hitori no boku… I'm sorry that you never knew." Yuugi said slowly, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry that I didn't try to stop him." Again his eyes rested upon Yami no Bakura; a vicious, sickening smile twitched at his lips.

"And I'm sorry that you had to get involved." Yuugi finished softly. He turned to Jounochi. "But I promise that I won't let him hurt you." Yami no Bakura let a harsh laugh escape his throat. He would let the whelp talk.

For now.

"Yuugi!" Jounochi half screamed, "Get out of here, he's gonna kill…!"

"I know… it's what I deserve" Yuugi breathed, standing tall at last. He locked eyes with Jounochi, a heart wrenching smile upon his innocent, childlike face.

"Yuugi," Jounochi nearly sobbed. "Go, please… please, buddy, go..!" Yuugi shook his head, small tears pooling in his eyes.

"I can't let him hurt my best friend, Jounochi." He said with a slight sigh. Jounochi shook his head, tears trickling down his face. "Just let me die."

_"Just let me die."_

"With pleasure." Without batting an eye, Yami no Bakura had unsheathed the blade of the murderous dagger; the dagger that had slit his back so many times, the dagger that had so brutally killed the Pharaoh. The blade sliced into Yuugi's stomach, and twisted hard.

"YUUGI!" Jounochi felt himself screaming, but seemed outside of his own body. He couldn't hear his own voice, but could see the flashing of the blade as it drove through the chest of his best friend.

Yuugi smiled lightly at Yami no Bakura, his breathing slowing, but he did not fall.

"I promised." He whispered. "And I wi… will not let you hurt Jounochi…" To Jounochi's horror, Yuugi put his hands around the blade of the knife, and wrenched it from his chest.

"Yuugi…" he choked, staring, mouth gaping, eyes wide. Yuugi's face was pallid and stained with sweat, but his lips remained upturned in the purest of smiles. Yami no Bakura was taken aback by this insane display; his hand clenched the hilt of the dagger, while Yuugi's bloodied hands were wrapped around the menacing, now crimson blade.

"What are you doing, you little whelp!" he couldn't help but exclaim, stunned. Yuugi coughed lightly, a tinge of blood appearing upon his lips.

"I'm doing what I should have done before." He whispered. "I'm not afraid of you anymore…" Yuugi twisted the blade in his hands, the hilt flying from Yami no Bakura's grasp. Yuugi took it into his own hand, and grabbed the thin, ropy cord that held the Millennium Ring at Yami no Bakura's throat, pulling him forward until their foreheads touched, eye to eye.

"This is the answer to my problem." He whispered, "But this time, I'm closing the door… forever." With that, Yuugi closed his violet eyes and thrust the dagger.

* * *

_**A/N: I am having the most conceited moment, dear God, I feel so full of myself. I really do hate that feeling. Let's not go into how I feel at the moment and focus on our chapter, shall we?**_

_**I admit, the original idea behind 'closed doors' was better, but then my ending line didn't work, and quite frankly, I liked my ending line to this chapter. That's the conceit kicking in; just hit me if I get too big headed.**_

_**Also, please note that although I have absolutely no problem with Yaoi, am even a supporter of many a shipping, muahaha, but this is NOT a Yaoi intended story. I'm sorry if you interpreted it as one, but really, it's not. **_

_**Well now, what does innocent little Yuugi do? He's bleeding pretty bad himself, and it's scaring Jounochi to death! (no pun intended). Did Yuugi kill the hideous creature that has slain his friend? Does Jounochi intend to stop the blow? Will Yami no Bakura try to deflect the lunge of the dagger? Or is there something unexpected that lies in wait, that not even Jounochi expected? **_


	7. I can

**Chapter 7: I can**

"YUUGI, NO!" Jounochi screamed from his standpoint, feet away. Yuugi couldn't kill Yami no Bakura; he was too innocent, gentle, to do such a thing, to sink so low as his adversary had. But Jounochi didn't notice that Yuugi's blade wasn't aiming at Yami no Bakura's blackened heart.

The cutting edge of the dagger slashed dead-center through the Millennium Symbol of his Millennium Ring.

"Goodbye… Yami no Bakura…" he whispered. Yami no Bakura's eyes shattered before Yuugi, body falling to the ground, writhing with screams as he fell away into the pit of shadows. A spirit, a demon forever broken, to fade away as an old photograph, into the shattered pieces of a hell bent soul. "And as for your existence…

"… No one can ever know."

With a clink, the dagger fell to the ground.

Yuugi swayed upon his feet, feeling the ground beneath him fading away. His vision blurred sharply, but the smile, the pure, almost asinine smile never leaving his face. He had done what he had wanted to do; he had saved his best friend, had avenged his fallen Pharaoh, and has locked his problem away forever behind closed doors. Now he could fall.

Now it was over.

"Yuugi!" Jounochi dove forward, catching Yuugi's slender body in his arms. He turned him over, observing the deep, red hole that marred his chest, looking at the ashen tincture of his face.

"Jounochi," Yuugi coughed slightly. "I did what I wanted to do… and I did it all by myself." He sounded like the old Yuugi, the one who dueled and laughed, had fun and smiled.

"Yeah, buddy, you did." Jounochi managed a watery smile. "You really did, man."

"Thanks… Jou…" Yuugi smiled again. "Do you remember… when you said that it wasn't like me to not wear the puzzle?"

"Y-yeah…"

"You were right.. always right." Yuugi muttered softly, still grinning to himself. "It almost wasn't me at all.. I was being so different. Hiding. Trying to.. to ignore my problem, put it off… but I didn't want to hurt you or anyone else… but I guess I still did, didn't I…"

"It ain't over, Yug, come on, buddy," Jounochi said waveringly, trying to appear optimistic as blood seeped from Yuugi's wound. "I'll call Honda, and Otogi, and Anzu, and we'll get an ambulance an'… an'… everything'll be fine."

"Arigatou, Jounochi." Yuugi whispered, his own eyes filming over with a thin line of tears. "You, and Anzu, Honda, and Otogi. Looking out for me like that… you always looked out for me like an older brother and I never said how much it meant to me…"

"Yug, let's not rattle off all this loopy-goopy last will crap, man, it ain't over yet!" Jounochi choked on a sob. "You're not gonna die, man... you can't die…" Yuugi smiled and closed his eyes, a thing track of tears running down his cheeks.

"I can." He whispered. "I can… and I'm so sorry."

* * *

_**A/N: DUDE! Is this the end of Yuugi! I should know, I'm the author has no clue anyway. Ah, the clueless fanfic writer. (aren't I annoying as hell?) tee hee.**_

_**Thank you so much to you who reviewed every chapter; you have no idea how much that meant to me, really. Thank you for taking interest in my story; I appreciate it. never gets reviews! .**_

_**Let's see now, now how is Jounochi gonna save his fading friend? You and I both know he'd never let him go without a fight. But who will come to Jounochi's aid when it looks like the end of the line for Yuugi? Next chapter, 'If you can hear me, help me, please.'**_


	8. If you can hear me, help me, please

**Chapter 8: 'If you can hear me, help me, please.'**

_"I can."_

"Yuugi…"

"I can." Yuugi smiled softly, locking violet to rust colored eye, both of which trembled with tears. Jounochi swallowed hard, watching the glimmer fade from Yuugi's face. "I'm so sorry, Jounochi…"

"Not if I can help it!" Jounochi sobbed, clutching the form of his fading friend to his chest in a brief embrace, blood splashing against his shirt. He gently laid Yuugi back down, searching frantically; his dread ridden eyes scoured the room, probing for one shred of hope to save his friend. His eyes, overflowing with petrified tears, fell upon the center piece of the Millennium Puzzle.

'The puzzle!' he thought despairingly. 'It's my only chance to save him!' Leaping gingerly over Yuugi's pallid form, he grabbed as many pieces of the puzzle at once that he could.

'This is impossible…' he thought, appalled at the complexity. 'This took Yuugi eight years, and I barely have eight minutes!' he cast a glance over at Yuugi. Yuugi's eyes were leaking with tears, but remained ever smiling, staring at the ceiling. Jounochi's heart sank to see blood still pouring from the wound in his chest.

"Hang on, Yuugi." His voice grew firm; his eyes dropped closed, hands clenching about the center piece of the puzzle.

'Yami no Yuugi, if you can hear me, listen please. For Yuugi. Onegai, Yami no Yuugi…' he thought, a tear escaping down his face. 'Please help me.'

_I will help you, Jounochi._

Jounochi's eyes snapped open; his hands moved over the pieces of the puzzle, instantly knowing where each piece went as though he had assembled it a million times, disregarding why for now. Sliding part after part into nook after cranny, the triangular shape began to come together. He just prayed that he could finish in time.

Only a few pieces to go. Behind him, he heard Yuugi coughing; the hacking became increasingly louder. Yuugi's breath came short. "Come on, just a few more pieces…"

_One piece to go._

The center piece of the Millennium Puzzle was clenched fiercely in Jounochi's hand. This was it; the very last piece. The only chance Jounochi had to save his best friend lay marred in his hand.

Jounochi turned and raced to Yuugi's side, falling once again upon his knees. He propped Yuugi up gently, trying to get his friend to focus.

"Yuugi," he said softly, feeling the sting of tears in his eyes. "Look, man, here…" He pressed the final, most palpable and vital piece of the Millennium Puzzle into Yuugi's hand, and laid his own overtop.

With every ounce of energy Yuugi could muster, he shoved that last piece into the puzzle, and yet before him, Jounochi's apprehensive eyes that were quelled with tears were slowly fading to black.

Almost abruptly, a shard of light spun from the center of the Millennium Symbol. Jounochi pressed the puzzle against Yuugi's wounded chest, against the gash that had begun to grow cold.

"Hang on, Yuugi." Jounochi whispered. "Hang on."

'Yami no Yuugi…if you can hear me, help me…' he thought, quenching the sobs that rose in his throat. 'Please, let this work.'

* * *

_**A/N: I know, I know, I'm dragging it out. Would you rather have my first ending where Yuugi died at the end of Chapter 7? No, I didn't think so. And I didn't like killing him either; that woulda meant that I took the easy way out. I'm merely drawing it out to annoy you and suspense you. **_

_**I wanted to thank you sweet reviewers yet again, because you are really keeping me going. I love hearing the positive comments; you guys are SO nice! 3**_

_**Now, note that I said 'at the end of chapter 7'. This means that it is still possible for our angelic Yuugi to go out in a blaze of love. But will Jounochi let him go down without a fight? Tune in to the final chapter of 'Behind Closed Doors': Meet you outside.**_


	9. Meet you outside

**Chapter 9: Meet you outside.**

The thin sliver of light illuminated the blood stained into Yuugi's shirt, puzzle point pushing directly into the gash. Yuugi's head threw back; a scream of pain sliced through the silent air. Tears spilled from Jounochi's eyes; this had to be done.

"HANG ON, YUUGI!" he screamed. A howling wind blew through the room; the shredded photographs flew through the air, spiraling about almost menacingly. Jounochi's tears flew from his face as his hair blasted back, the puzzle rising lightly above Yuugi's chest. Light enveloped Yuugi's body, bangs thrust back from the gust of wind, eyes snapping open.

Everything fell silent. Yuugi's gaze focused; the scene before him moved as though in slow motion. He watched his life outside himself, it seemed, watching every picture fly pixel by pixel, moving slowly as an image on a video: playing, pausing, playing, pausing. He saw tears falling like dewdrops, exploding about the room. His eyes locked upon Jounochi. Jounochi's eyes were emblazoned with determination and fear, but they stayed firm, frozen with every bit of hope he could conjure up. Yuugi felt himself smile.

'Thank you, Jounochi.'

The wind died down as instantaneously as it had risen. The light from the puzzle diminished; it fell gently against Yuugi's chest. Yuugi's eyes drooped to a close, breathing becoming regular, face regaining the slightest of tints. Jounochi took the puzzle into his hands and stared. It was no longer bloodstained, and the Millennium Symbol once again gleamed an unrivaled cascade of gold; the way it once had, when the Pharaoh was alive.

"Y-Yuugi?" Jounochi whispered. He shakily put the cord that held the puzzle around his friend's neck. "Yuugi, wake up, man… please?" Yuugi didn't move; Jounochi's heart dropped like a bomb. Broken. He hung his head, trying to balance himself, when he felt a hand upon his own.

"J… J-Jounochi?" Jounochi's head snapped up, drinking in the sight before him. Yuugi's eyes had opened ever so slightly, locking on his form. "Are.. are you okay?" he whispered. Jounochi let every tear that had been held back fall and let his face break into the purest smile.

"Yeah..." he grinned at his best friend, who returned his smile. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine."

"G-good."

"You?" asked Jounochi, wiping the tears of relief from his face. Yuugi smiled softly.

"I'm fine." He indicated his chest, moving the Millennium Puzzle lightly from the place the knife had struck. He pushed aside the bloodied rips in his shirt to expose his skin.

Nothing was there.

"How…?" Jounochi began, but stopped. Yuugi smiled and nodded. The Pharaoh.

"Mou hitori no boku." Yuugi whispered. "He heard you." Jounochi managed a watery grin and bobbed his head.

"Yep." He sniggered in the classic Katsuya Jounochi way. "Ain't that just like the Pharaoh; always helpin' out a friend." Yuugi chuckled lightly.

"Yes." He agreed. He paused, in thought. "Do you think… think that maybe Yami no Bakura could come back?" he asked tentatively. Jounochi smiled gently.

"If he does, you'll tell me, right?" he said simply. Yuugi looked taken aback; a guilty look crossed his face. "An' we'll take him on together." Yuugi nodded, swallowing the last of his tears.

"Arigatou, Jounochi."

"Douitashimashite, Yuugi." He replied, helping his best friend to his feet. Yuugi looked down abruptly, his tone almost childlike.

"I'm gonna go change this shirt." He said randomly. Jounochi laughed right out.

"I'll call Honda, Anzu and Otogi. Meet ya outside, 'kay, buddy?"

Behind every door is the answer to a problem, and that's to lock them away forever, not ignore them. But when scars of the past are imprisoned in the hell of precedent, sometimes not even love can keep them down. Hatred is of the darkness, and darkness never fades away. But Yami no Bakura was the last thing on Yuugi's mind. Yuugi smiled, lightheartedly and wholly.

"Meet you outside."

* * *

_**A/N: I sense a sequel: dost thou? Tee hee. Did you really expect me to kill Yuugi? I love him; why would I kill him off? (but I really did in my first ending… shudders)**_

_**Anyway, that brings "Behind Closed Doors" to a close and I hope with all my heart that you enjoyed it. Thank you to zoids-fanatic, for loading and your help; I appreciate it and love you to death! 3**_

_**Also thank you to my reviewers; you guys are so awesome. . I hope that you liked this 'cause whisper I'm gonna get a sequel to this started with stuff that'll blow you away! You guys keep me going, and I hope that you enjoyed this fic. It was for you all the way.**_

**_Feel free to contact me regarding my story, a particular chapter, or anything at all, really. My aim handle is yrae0110, and my msn handle is or feel free to drop an email at from Katsuya, Yuugi, Yami no Yuugi, and myself, sayonara for now. We'll return soon._**

_**Raeluvs**_


End file.
